Senior Management Consultant for Strategy and Lean Portfolio Management, IT Project & Program Management

Agile support and coaching for teams and enterprise at a merchandise management, ERP, and CRM system provider, driving and improving team ways of working and business agility.

Tasks:

• Coaching and empowerment at all levels
• Guided and coached multiple agile teams and key roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Project Manager) to improve collaboration, self-organization, and effectiveness in a scaled environment.
• Introduced and established the role of the overarching Product Owner (Chief PO / PO Lead) with clear responsibility definitions.
• Coached executives, Product Owners, and Service Owners for effective agile practices, strengthening their governance functions, and successful agile refinement.
• Operational Scrum Master activities
• Served as Scrum Master for two development teams, including supporting other Scrum Masters and implementing a hybrid Scrum/Kanban approach.
• Planned, facilitated, and coordinated all Scrum events, and proactively removed impediments at the team and organizational levels.
• Structuring and management of the product backlog
• Introduced and guided cross-team processes to optimize collaboration and value stream orientation.
• Promoted open communication, transparency, and mutual support between teams and interfaces.
• Established binding quality standards in the development process through acceptance criteria, Definition of Ready (DoR), Definition of Done (DoD), and acceptance criteria as part of pre-refinement and refinement processes.
• Promoting cross-team collaboration and business agility
• Defined, introduced, and supported cross-team processes to optimize collaboration and value stream orientation.
• Encouraged open and targeted communication as well as active collaboration within teams and with interfaces to improve transparency, alignment, and mutual support.
• Continuous improvement of agile practices
• Initiated and supported improvement processes using Scrum and Nexus frameworks.

Results and benefits:

• Flexibility & continuous improvement: Established a culture of self-organization and autonomous problem-solving, enabling teams to respond quickly to change and embed agile principles sustainably.
• Transparency & alignment: Unified prioritization and a clear product vision through structured backlog management ("One Product, One Backlog") and improved coordination and understanding through open communication.
• Reliability & quality: Significant gains in quality and transparency in the development process through clear quality standards (acceptance criteria, Definition of Ready, Definition of Done) and more reliable deliveries.
• Productivity: Increased efficiency through proactive impediment removal and facilitation of effective Scrum events.
• Collaboration & value stream orientation: Broke down silos, improved interface coordination, and strengthened focus on the value stream.
• Scaling: Strengthened leadership roles (department heads, Product & Service Owners) for successful agile implementation at all levels.

Methods and technologies used: Scrum, Kanban, Nexus, Jira, Confluence, and PowerPoint

Project management, multi-project management, resource planning, capacity allocation, tracking and time management, PMO coaching.

Project and multi-project management focused on resource planning, capacity allocation, progress tracking, and time management. Through targeted management of individual projects and a complex project portfolio, tasks were prioritized, efforts were estimated accurately, and budgets were allocated strategically. Efficient resource management for personnel and materials – across projects and involving internal teams, external service providers, and relevant stakeholders – ensured on-time delivery. PMO coaching enabled the team to work independently, efficiently, and with a focus on outcomes.

My responsibilities in this project included:

• Project/Multi-Project Management:
• Coordination, communication, and prioritization of projects in the portfolio: Through continuous alignment with project managers, participants, and stakeholders, project plans were adhered to, and delivery targets were met. This promoted smooth collaboration and contributed significantly to project success.
• Resource management (personnel, budget, materials) for the overall project as well as cross-project.
• Risk management including early identification of dependencies and conflicts, and the development and implementation of appropriate measures for risk minimization and mitigation.
• Optimization of work methods & methodological support:
• Supported project managers and PMOs in planning, tool implementation, and process standardization.
• Optimized ways of working through clear responsibilities, structured role distribution, and targeted use of Jira Kanban boards for visualization, transparency, and traceability.
• Established a reporting standard at all levels – including the executive board – for continuous information and control.
• Efficiency improvement through PMO coaching: Coached the PMO team to enhance self-management, efficiency, and project delivery quality.

Results and benefits: Significantly higher project success rates, optimized resource utilization, and increased transparency and accountability within the teams. The structured use of tools and methods enabled effective planning, control, and communication up to the board level. PMO coaching had a lasting positive impact on project governance and stakeholder satisfaction.

Methods and technologies used: Agile PMO, SAFe, Project management, Jira (projects, backlogs, boards, and structures), EasyBI, Confluence, ALM, ITIL

Transformation/process consulting, lean portfolio management and enterprise transformation for PMT, based on SAFe®, Lean Agile and systems engineering approaches. In my role as Managing Director, I served as a senior management and strategy consultant as well as a transformation and SAFe® expert. My focus was on lean portfolio management and process optimization. I supported the entire company and took into account the interactions and specifics of individual brands such as Porsche, Audi and Skoda. My tasks and responsibilities in the project included:

• Analysis and development: I analyzed the current working methods of the different teams, ARTs, solutions and value streams and developed the necessary processes for strategic and operational lean portfolio management (LPM), project and product management for the internal corporate departments (the corporate SAFe® solutions and cross-solutions) and brands.
• Consolidation of multiple solutions: I led a company-wide consolidation of various LPM and PMT solutions into a single central solution.
• Strategic support and change management: I supported PMT leadership, business owners, solution managers, cross-solutions and lean portfolio managers in developing and implementing solution and program strategies and in making transformation decisions.
• Agile transformation: I defined the approach for the agile transformation, which was implemented within the existing reference models (V-Model, ASPICE, RFLP architecture and systems engineering).
• Process design: I designed the "process flows" for refinement, planning, execution and integration at all scaling levels and defined the work artifacts, the basic information model, activities, roles, planning and execution cadence as well as regular events.
• Metrics and reporting: I developed a company-wide reporting concept and defined the necessary metrics (key performance, leading and lagging indicators) for operational reporting along the process chain (refinement, planning, execution and delivery).
• Implementation support: I guided the value streams, solutions and ARTs in applying the processes and methods I had developed.
• Leadership tasks: I represented the department head/product manager and product owner and acted as project and team lead for PMT teams. Outcome and value: Through the comprehensive introduction of a scaled agile way of working and consolidated LPM solutions, efficiency and coordination across the entire group were significantly improved. The precise design of processes and metrics enabled effective control and monitoring of progress. The successful implementation and anchoring of the new ways of working strengthened the organization, fostered collaboration and synchronization across all brands, and contributed significantly to a sustainably improved flexibility and responsiveness of the group. Methods and technologies used: SAFe®, ASPICE, systems engineering, RFLP (functional requirement engineering), lean & agile, LPM, Jira, Enterprise Architect, ALM, V-Model, ITIL

Agile coaching and enterprise architecture for EZR (European Central Settlement) of a trading and industrial goods brokerage company. The company began its agile transformation over a year ago. To continue and maintain this transformation, I was hired as an agile coach and Scrum Master for the EZR area of the trading and industrial goods brokerage company. In this role, I supported the EZR services, development, enterprise data management, enterprise content management and billing control teams. As a team coach, I coached up to two teams at the same time. My tasks and responsibilities in the project included:

• Agile coach and Scrum Master: Coaching of two teams (service and production teams) as well as other EZR teams. A hybrid approach (combining Scrum rituals with the Kanban flow) was most suitable for the service teams to promote flexibility and continuous improvement.
• Cross-departmental coaching and advising of department heads as well as service and product owners.
• Establishing cross-team processes: increasing efficiency through effective management of requirements and dependencies (both functional and technical) and implementation of agile scaling practices.
• Corporate management support: advising on digitization, transformation and strategic project and product development. Outcome and value: Through my coaching and support of the teams as agile coach and Scrum Master for the EZR area, I contributed significantly to the successful continuation of the agile transformation. The teams sustainably improved their work processes and worked more efficiently. At the same time, I supported the corporate management in transformation and strategic project development, leading to a comprehensive optimization of company-wide work processes. Methods and technologies used: Scrum, Kanban, "ScrumBan", Domain Driven Design (DDD in the EZR area), OKRs

Agile transformation and coaching (dev teams, transition teams and enterprise architects) at an international bank. Supporting development teams as an Agile Coach. Building and guiding the "Transition Team" in the "BPI" department with the goal of establishing agile methodology as a unified way of working in the bank. Achieving transformation objectives through active coaching both in daily work with squads (consisting of developers, POs, Scrum Masters) and other leaders, and by conducting workshops for individual squads and the IT department head. My tasks and responsibilities in the project included:

• Scrum Master and Agile Coach: I led the teams in the "Current Accounts, Saving & Loans" department within "Business Processes IT (BPI)".
• Throughout the bank transformation, I prepared and conducted workshops for second-level leaders in the BPI area to provide a deep understanding of agile methods and their benefits. In doing so, I promoted acceptance and buy-in for the cultural change brought by the transformation. The workshops also improved coordination and collaboration, supported the bank's strategic alignment, and contributed decisively to successful implementation.
• Together with management, I defined the agile way of working "One Agile Way of Working (OaWoW)" for the entire organization and drove its scaling, leading to a more efficient and unified work mode.
• "Leading Change": I initiated and led the formation of transition teams and actively guided decision-makers through the successful implementation of the transformation.
• By establishing agile methods, I significantly optimized work processes such as agile requirements engineering, development and deployment, which greatly improved efficiency and quality of project outcomes.
• I empowered product owners and development teams for self-organization, self-empowerment and collective ownership, strengthening team dynamics and promoting autonomy.
• With tailored team assessments in the BPI area, I identified optimization potential and implemented targeted improvements.
• I supported domain and enterprise architects in critical technical and strategic decisions, including selecting development tools, contributing to the long-term alignment of the IT strategy.
• I advised the client in creating and maintaining the vision, IT strategy and roadmap, positively influencing the organization's strategic direction. Outcome and value: My work increased the bank's efficiency and flexibility, improved collaboration among staff, teams and departments, and increased customer satisfaction. By establishing robust processes, I made a sustainable contribution to the successful execution of the agile transformation and laid a solid foundation for future improvements. Methods and technologies used: Scrum, Kanban, "ScrumBan", Spotify, Scaled Agile, agile requirements engineering

Project/Program management (of the main project and its subprojects) In advising on complex IT projects, I took responsibility for the main projects and their subprojects, including initiation, planning, control, monitoring, and closing. Through my consulting, I ensure the successful delivery of the projects. My roles and responsibilities on the project included: Strategic project management:

• Optimizing business and IT strategies to increase value creation in existing and new business areas.
• Developing and implementing an IT roadmap aligned with the business strategy. Monitoring strategy implementation.
• Establishing a shared, company-wide understanding and optimal communication in everyday work. Promoting reliability and collaboration between departments and stakeholders.
• Using appropriate technologies to effectively support strategic company goals.
• Introducing and establishing agile approaches (e.g., Scrum, Scaled Agile) based on existing processes.
• Analyzing the current IT landscape and conducting gap analyses.

Operational project management:

• Responsibility for technical projects, custom solutions, and further development of existing solutions.
• Project management: planning, budgeting, monitoring, reporting, resource planning. Coordinating teams/departments, planning and assigning relevant work packages and tasks.
• Team building and leadership, progress and quality monitoring, leading national and international project teams, coordination with stakeholders.
• Leading the operationalization and supporting business owners.
• Optimizing ways of working, decision-making processes, and resource management.
• Ensuring sustainable collaboration and quick response times to issues. Results and Value Added: Operational excellence was achieved through precise project management, clear responsibilities, and close coordination with all stakeholders. This led to successful projects delivered on time, within budget, and with high quality. Overall, this strengthens the company's innovation capacity and competitive position. Methods and Technologies Used: MS Project, MS Office, Prince2, PMI approaches, Scrum and Kanban, PMI, ALM, ITIL

• Introduction of an agile requirements management process, coaching the requirements engineering team.

• Developed a content management system with device control for the media and broadcast industry, highly available (with redundancy system and load balancing).
• Introduced and worked with Scrum.
• Optimized the IT strategy.
• Defined work methods and development processes.

• Implementation and integration of service software into the web portal (SyngoBase).
• ASP.NET and web development.

• Intelligent document processing.
• Software development.
• Supporting Scrum practice.

• Rollout of the Business Communications and Printing Framework.

• MPOL-IPCC development and refactoring of MPOL's mobile section within the IPCC projects.

• Co-developed a new inventory management system (WWS2000).